Spanish government to contribute to restoration of the Roman amphitheatre and the old cathedral in Cartagena

The amphitheatre lies under the bullring while the cathedral was severely damaged in the Civil War

An agreement is due to be signed in the near future between the Town Hall of Cartagena and the national government’s Ministry of Development by which the two institutions will collaborate on the project to restore the Roman amphitheatre and the old cathedral of Santa María la Mayor.

Both of these monumental buildings are currently abandoned and dilapidated: the amphitheatre lies partly underneath the 19th century bull ring, and only the initial phase of excavation to make it visitable has been undertaken, while the cathedral has never been repaired after suffering in an aerial bombardment of Cartagena during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39).

Traditionally the Catedral Vieja de Santa María is considered to have been built on the location of the first church founded by the Apostle Saint James (Santiago), who landed in Cartagena in the early part of the 1st century AD on his mission to spread Christianity throughout the Iberian Peninsula. Parts of what remains of the cathedral were built in the 14th century, but significant rebuilding work was undertaken in the 16th century and included the Capilla de los Cuatro Santos. A century later the Capilla del Cristo del Socorro was added, and the building was completely remodelled and restored in 1902.

During a visit to Cartagena in July 2018 José Guirao, the Minister for Culture, promised that he would consider a study of plans to restore the Cathedral, and now an agreement has been reached with Pedro Saura, the Secretary of State for Infrastructures (and a native of Torre Pacheco) for the inclusion of the project in the government’s budget for 2019. Prior to his taking up his present role, Sr Saura took part in a demonstration demanding the restoration of the building in May of last year.

It will also be necessary for the Diocese of Cartagena to be party to the agreement, which in theory will lead to a significant investment in restoring these two important elements of the city’s historical, cultural and monumental heritage over the next few years, while at the same time adding to the range of tourist attractions which already includes the Roman Theatre museum.